Combination cap and material tooling device

ABSTRACT

A cap for a container having a blade portion for use in smoothing a spreadable material, an attachment portion for mounting the cap to the container, and a transition portion extending between the blade portion and the attachment portion, the transition portion having a hollow interior for retaining an object. A window allows a user to observe the object in the hollow interior of the cap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and full benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/981,987, filed Oct. 23, 2007, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a device for use with the sprayable wall compound or spackle or spackling. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cap for retaining a sanding pad or for presenting a sanding pad for observation and a sprayable wall compound.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A repair or construction operation typically involves providing a thick wall (or ceiling) compound from a container and spreading the wall compound using a thin and wide blade onto a wall or ceiling to form a smooth joint. When the wall compound is sufficiently dry or cured, it may be sanded and if desired, may be primed and/or painted. A typical repair may involve the repair of a damages surface or hole.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,104 to Hoyt teaches a combination cap and material tooling device including an elongated blade supported on a base, the base including an engagement portion and an intermediate portion. The intermediate portion located between the blade and the engagement portion includes a finger depression for receiving an operator's finger.

One problem with typical wall repair or construction operations is that the necessity to provide the wall compound, blade, and sanding pad as three separate articles may lead to lost or misplaced items, such that the user may face inconvenience and may resort to performing the surface repair or construction in a substandard manner, for example by performing the job without the proper item or by substituting the missing item or item with a lesser item.

It is, therefore, desirable to provide a combination tool which may be provided in association with a container for sprayable wall compound, the combination tool may provide capping of the container, spreading or forming the wall compound, and presenting for observation or retaining a sanding pad.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of previous apparatus and method for effecting a drywall surface repair.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a cap for a container having a blade portion for use in smoothing a spreadable material, an attachment portion for mounting the cap to the container, and a transition portion extending between the blade portion and the attachment portion, the transition portion having a hollow interior for retaining an object.

In one embodiment the transition portion further comprising a window, the window adapted to allow a user to observe at least a portion of the object when the cap is mounted to the container. In one embodiment the window comprises at least one substantially transparent closure. In one embodiment the transition portion further includes a retainer, the retainer adapted to releasably retain the object within the cap.

In one embodiment the window comprises at least one aperture. In one embodiment the window comprises a plurality of apertures spaced about the perimeter of the transition portion. In one embodiment the plurality of apertures are adapted to receive a portion of the object therein, the plurality of apertures adapted to retain the object in the cap. In one embodiment the transition portion further includes a plurality of guides about the hollow interior to position the object within the cap. In one embodiment, the plurality of guides adapted to retain the object in the cap in a friction fit. In one embodiment, the object is a sanding pad, sanding paper, sanding disc, circular sanding disc, or abrasive pad.

In one embodiment the retainer comprising a plurality of apertures, the plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter of the cap, the plurality of apertures adapted to receive a portion of the object therein, the plurality of apertures adapted to retain the object in the cap. In one embodiment the container is a spray can. In one embodiment the container is an aerosol can. In one embodiment the container is an aerosol can adapted to contain a sprayable spackle or spackling.

In one embodiment the blade is adapted for use in smoothing the material sprayed from the container.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a drywall surface repair kit including a pressurized container containing a sprayable spackling material, a cap for mounting to the container, the cap having a blade portion for use in smoothing a spreadable material, an attachment portion for mounting the cap to the container, and a transition portion extending between the blade portion and the attachment portion, the transition portion having a hollow interior for retaining an object, a sanding pad, wherein the cap is releasably attachable to the container and retains the sanding pad when the cap is mounted on the container. In one embodiment the container is a pressurized can. In one embodiment the container is an aerosol spray can.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cap of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembly view of a cap of the present invention with a sanding pad and aerosol can;

FIG. 3 is a side, partially transparent view of the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the cap of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sanding pad of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side, partially transparent view of a cap of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is bottom view of the cap of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a cap of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a section view of the cap of FIG. 8, along the lines A-A;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the cap of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a top view of a cap of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a section view of the cap of FIG. 11, along the lines A-A;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the cap of FIG. 11; and

FIG. 14 is a sanding pad.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a cap 10 of the present invention has a blade portion 20 for use in smoothing a spreadable material (not shown), an attachment portion 30 for mounting the cap to a container 40, and a transition portion 50 extending between the blade portion 20 and the attachment portion 30, the transition portion 50 having a hollow interior 60 for retaining an object 70.

The transition portion 50 may further include a window 80 that would allow the presence of the object 70 inside the cap 10 to be visually detected. The window 80 may be open, as in at least one aperture 90, or at least partially closed or covered, as in a substantially transparent closure 100. The closure 90 may be, for example, a clear or opaque material, or a mesh, such as a clear plastic.

The object 70 may include a sanding pad 110 (exemplary shown as a circular sanding disc 120) or sanding paper may be displayed in the substantially transparent window 90 or the aperture 100 (as applicable). A portion of the sanding pad 110 may extend into or through the window 80 to allow the mating of the sanding pad 110 and the cap 10. The sanding pad 110 may be retained within the cap 110 by the engagement of the sanding pad 110 and the window 80, for example by extending at least partially into the at least one aperture 90 or the transparent closure 100.

The sanding pad 110 may have an orifice 130 that allows placement of the sanding pad 110 over a valve actuator 140, so the sanding pad 110 may rest on a valve assembly 150 and be held between the valve assembly 150 and the transition portion 50 of the cap 10 with the valve actuator 140 extending through the orifice 130.

The blade portion 20 may be substantially rigid or may be pliable or flexible. The blade portion 20 may have an aperture 25 for a wire rack (not shown). The blade portion 20 may commonly be referred to as a putty knife by one skilled in the art.

The attachment portion 30 may be adapted to frictionally and removably attach with the container 40 to “snap” onto or otherwise engage the container 40. Alternatively, the attachment portion 30 may be adapted to attach by threaded connection friction fit or other connection known to one skilled in the art.

The container 40, while shown as an aerosol type container, may be other pressurized or non-pressurized containers. The container 40 may include a mixing means, for example a movable mixing element inside the container 40 that may be agitated by movement of the container 40, for example the mixing element may be a plastic or metallic sphere that moves through the spackling to mix it by shaking the container 40.

Referring to FIGS. 6-7, a guide 160 or plurality of guides 160 may position the sanding pad 110 within the hollow interior 60 of the cap 10. One or more tabs 170 may extend inward from the cap 10 to form stops 180 to position or secure the sanding pad 110 between the valve assembly 150 and the cap 110. The guides 160 may extend axially along the cap 10, leading to the tabs 170 forming the stop 180. The plurality of guides 160 position the sanding pad 110 radially and the tabs 170 position the sanding pad 110 axially. The sanding pad 110 may be secured loosely within the cap 10 or may be retained in a friction fit by the guides 160.

Referring to FIGS. 8-13, the cap 10 has opposing windows 80 in the transition portion 50, for example as shown the apertures 100 set approximately 180 degrees apart. The sanding pad 110 extends outward and protrudes at least partially through the apertures 100, thereby causing the sanding pad 110 to be retained within the transition portion 50 of the cap 10. The sanding pad 110 may be inserted/removed by the deformation of the sanding pad 110 or the deformation of a portion of the cap 10, for example deformation of the attachment portion 30 and the transition portion 50.

Referring to FIG. 14, the object 70 of the present invention may be the sanding pad 110 as a sanding pad or disc 190, a sheet or plurality of sheets of abrasive sheets known as sand paper, or may be another sanding pad, known to one skilled in the art. In one embodiment, the sanding pad or disc 190 includes an abrasive surface 200 with a flexible backer 210. In one embodiment, the sanding pad or disc 190 has a first side 220 and a second side 230, the first side 220 having an abrasive surface of a first grit 240 and the second side 230 having an abrasive surface of a second grit 250. In one embodiment, the second grit 250 is finer than the first grit 240.

In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the invention.

The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto. 

1. A cap for a container comprising: (a) a blade portion for use in smoothing a spreadable material; (b) an attachment portion for mounting the cap to the container; and (c) a transition portion extending between the blade portion and the attachment portion, the transition portion having a hollow interior for retaining an object.
 2. The cap of claim 1, the transition portion further comprising a window, the window adapted to allow a user to observe at least a portion of the object when the cap is mounted to the container.
 3. The cap of claim 2, wherein the window comprises at least one substantially transparent closure.
 4. The cap of claim 2, wherein the window comprises at least one aperture.
 5. The cap of claim 1, the transition portion further comprising a retainer, the retainer adapted to releasably retain the object within the cap.
 6. The cap of claim 4, wherein the window comprises a plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter of the transition portion.
 7. The cap of claim 6, the plurality of apertures adapted to receive a portion of the object therein, the plurality of apertures adapted to retain the object in the cap.
 8. The cap of claim 1, the transition portion further comprising a plurality of guides about the hollow interior to position the object within the cap.
 9. The cap of claim 8, the plurality of guides adapted to retain the object in the cap in a friction fit.
 10. The cap of claim 7, wherein the object is a sanding pad.
 11. The cap of claim 1, wherein the object is a sanding pad.
 12. The cap of claim 10, wherein the sanding pad is a circular sanding disc.
 13. The cap of claim 3, the retainer comprising a plurality of apertures, the plurality of apertures spaced around the perimeter of the cap, the plurality of apertures adapted to receive a portion of the object therein, the plurality of apertures adapted to retain the object in the cap.
 14. The cap of claim 1, wherein the container is an aerosol spray can.
 15. The cap of claim 1, wherein the blade portion is adapted for use in smoothing the material sprayed from the container.
 16. A drywall surface repair kit comprising: (a) a pressurized container containing a sprayable spackling material; (b) a cap for mounting to the container, the cap having i. a blade portion for use in smoothing a spreadable material; ii. an attachment portion for mounting the cap to the container; and iii. a transition portion extending between the blade portion and the attachment portion, the transition portion having a hollow interior for retaining an object; and (c) a sanding pad, wherein the cap is releasably attachable to the container and retains the pad when the cap is mounted on the container.
 17. The drywall surface repair kit of claim 16, wherein the container is an aerosol spray can. 